The Hymn of the Pearl and Irenaeus

Among the most dangerous foes the Church of the earliest centuries faced was that of gnosticism.  This foe was pernicious not so much in its direct destruction of Christians and the Christian message, but rather in its perversion and reorientation of key Christian ideas.  It was dangerous because on some levels it sounded very much like the orthodox church, claiming in fact to be the progression of thought which the Christian message points to.  Gnostics were harmful because they seemed to be so similar outwardly, but their true message was a complete distortion of that which those in the Church had taught, and died for.  In this brief paper I will seek to briefly examine one of these writings, the “Hymn of the Pearl” from The Acts of Thomas.  I will first look at its message of “good news” and then seek to show the similarities this message seems to have with the Christian gospel.  Finally, I will look at the arguments of Irenaeus, one of the greatest apologists in church history, to examine his reactions and response to this dangerous foe of the early Church. 

            The “Hymn of the Pearl” is a story of a young man sent away from home so that he might find the “One Pearl”, and bring it back home.  In this story the Pearl is the source of wisdom, the beauty in the midst of foul corruption.  It is guarded by a “snorting serpent” (verse 13) in the middle of a wide sea.   The danger this serpent possesses is immediately obvious, but what is more dangerous in fact to the young man is the influence of those who lived around the serpent, who eventually dulled his mind and caused him to fall into deep slumber.  Yet he was restored by a message from his own kingdom, and remembered the quest for which he had set out.  He was fortunate to have been awakened, and in this remembrance of his quest he was able to enchant the serpent, and seize the great pearl which it guarded, leaving behind the garments of the old land and returning to the land of his father.  Because he was able to recover this Pearl, by remembering and completing his quest, he was now clothed in a robe of glory, in which he was able to come before his Father and be received joyfully now that he had the Pearl.

            This message speaks of a quest, and the dangers involved in such a quest, for new wisdom.  It urges those who are so enlightened to awaken from their slumber and to not be held back by those who surround them, instead urging them onward to something special, something more, not sharing in the message, but taking it as one’s own.  There is a  sense of isolation along the journey, which causes distrust of those who do not share the quest, but also points to the grand community of those who have likewise gone on their own quest, and the glory of sharing in the seeking and finding of this great Pearl.  For this pearl allows one to be clothed in glory, and to live in a manner of true enlightenment, sharing in the joy of the newfound possession.  This pearl is one which is surrounded by great temptations and great dangers, but the one who earns it through persistence, effort, and astuteness will find great rewards indeed.

            On a first reading this story has much to commend itself, with similar sounding themes and images with that we find in our own Scriptures.  The flow of the hymn in fact seems to be an expansion of statements and allusions found throughout the Gospels.  Certainly, the image which first comes to mind is the statement in Matthew 13:45 in which Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a merchant in search of fine pearls who “on find one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  The hymn tells the story of this quest, the story of a man who was sent to find this great pearl, and to bring it home as his own, putting aside everything else in order to possess it.  This imagery points to the message of Jesus himself, and seeks to embody in the Gnostic gospel the truth of Kingdom of heaven.

Indeed it continues in utilizing the language which Jesus used to describe the kingdom.  One of the dangers the young man fell into was that of a deep slumber, brought on by drink and heaviness of nourishment.  In Matthew 25 we are told that the kingdom of Heaven is like ten bridesmaids who went to meet the bridegroom.  Some were wise, and some were foolish.  Those who were wise among them came prepared, and because of this were allowed into the celebration, while those who had not thought ahead were denied and told to go seek the oil they need.  So, the image of the young man needing to stay awake, and be thoughtful is certainly reflected in the Gospels.

            Again the image of a wedding banquet seems to be alluded to in the casting off of the old clothing and taking up of new.  In Matthew 22:11 we find the king excited to have guests at his banquet, which many had rejected, yet seeing one man clothed without the wedding robe.  This man was bound and cast out, because “many are called, but few are chosen” (v.13).    The robe of glory became an important aspect in the story once the Pearl was found and obtained, because the young man must take up the glorious robes which he had been given before he could celebrate in the presence of the king.   Only those who are invited, and clothed in the right robes can partake in the great banquet which the King has laid out.

            We find throughout this hymn reflections and expansions of the imagery used to describe the kingdom of heaven.  These somewhat ambiguous statements made by Jesus, are used to show the efficacy and wisdom of the Gnostic path.  It is in their gnosis that the great pearl is found, it is in seeking past those who are foolish, abandoning everything which encumbers and entices in order to cunningly obtain this great prize, and having obtained this prize, one must put off the ragged and impure garments and put on the robes of glory, so that one can truly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  With this language it seems a right and holy effort, and seems to commend the believer towards following the path this hymn has laid out.   Yet, those in the church felt not only that this system was in error, but indeed possessed with great evil, and must at every stage be fought against. 

            Irenaeus lays out some disputes with Gnostic thought which lie at the foundation of his Against Heresies.   The first line of attack Irenaeus takes is disputing their use of Scripture.  Understanding how this usage can lead to great confusion he states that the Gnostics, “with great craftiness, adapted such  parts of Scripture to their own figments, lead away captive from the truth those who do not retain a steadfast faith in One God, the Father Almighty, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Ante-Nicene Fathers I, 320).  His main argument is essentially one of exegesis.  The Gnostics twist and distort concepts in the Gospels and other passages, not so much from a logical study of the Gospels themselves, but rather to fit the Scriptures within their own system (ANF, 329ff.). 

            The analogy Irenaeus employs here is that of a mosaic picture of a noble king made out of fine jewels.  This image is then disassembled, and the same jewels used to construct a picture of a dog or a fox, with those who reconstructed it saying that it is the same beautiful image on account of the same jewels.  The image of the king, however, is noble because of the right usage of the jewels, not the mere presence of the jewels (ANF, 326).  In the same way, says Irenaeus, “do these persons patch together old wives fables and then endeavor, by violently drawing away from their proper connection, words, expressions and parables whenever found, to adapt the oracles of God to their baseless fictions.  Much of the work of Irenaeus is spent then, supporting this argument with specific verses and laying out the truth of the original intention of the verses and the apostles (Against Heresies, Book I.ix, xix, xx; Book III.ii, vi-xiv). By working through these verses specifically, he seeks to show how distorted interpretations simply cannot stand under close scrutiny of good interpretation. 

            With this understanding of Scripture comes another argument which Irenaeus feels bears greatly against the Gnostic understanding.  This argument is that of tradition.  Essentially, he claims that if anyone was to receive “secret” knowledge from Jesus it would be the Apostles, and from them those who they chose to pass on the leadership of the churches (ANF, 415).  Much of the basis of Gnostic claims comes in the fact that they are the recipients of a higher wisdom, not passed through the official channels of the Church, but rather through secret teaching, passed down through certain individuals.  To fight this Irenaeus lays out the concept of Apostolic succession, not simply in an organizational sense, but in a doctrinal sense as well.  He establishes the flow of authority having been passed down from Jesus, through the Apostles, to the current Bishops and leaders of his own day (ANF, 415ff.).  He claims that the Church has an unbroken foundation of understanding, which the Gnostics cannot show in their own teaching, and that “since therefore we have such proofs, it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church.”  The church has in itself an unbroken line of teaching and interpretation which by its very existence and essence shows itself alone to be the proper interpreter of Scripture and of the Christian faith, all other attempts and systems are baseless.

            Irenaeus has a clear understanding of the danger that the Gnostic “gospel” possesses.  The similarities which seem to apparent in reading their beliefs hide tremendously different understandings of Scripture and Truth.  This gospel is not one of life, but rather one of death.  The interpretations of Scripture which the Gnostics depend on simply cannot stand up to rigorous examination of the key texts, and thus their arguments fall apart if pressed.  Of course, one need not necessarily even need to examine Scripture before abandoning the Gnostic cause, because to Irenaeus, the clear teaching of the Church, which is the established repository of truth and interpretation, goes against the various thoughts of Gnosticism.  This tradition is not simply a flow of developing thought, but rather a clearly established line from Jesus himself of authority and  power which leads to life. 

This is a tradition which holds fast to the true teaching of the Apostles, and allows no other in (ANF, 416ff)  Of course, the various interpretations themselves of the Gnostics also lead one away, for if they had possessed the “truth” then they themselves would be in agreement with one another, rather than each holding to various interpretations and premises according to individual whim (ANF, 332ff.).  The Gnostics were a threat because they looked so much like the truth that many were led away from the Church.  To Irenaeus, this perversion of truth was essentially like a wolf in sheep’s clothing who drew believers out of the flock to be slaughtered.  It is the role, then, of a good shepherd to identify and weed out those who seek to infiltrate the flock for this reason.  It is not by fancy rhetoric or passionate claims that this is done, but rather by clear and consistent teaching showing how the Gnostic gospel falls apart under various criteria and examination.  This is an example for our own struggles against those who claim to have truth, yet deal out death, in our own day.